Wiping and polishing mechanism for steel plate printing machines



Aug. 21, 1934. F. c. MARQUARDT WIPING AND POLISHING MECHANISM FOR STEELPLATE PRINTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 10, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN 8%)4L ATTORNEY Aug. 21, 1934. M'ARQUARDT WIPING AND POLISHING MECHANISM FORSTEEL PLATE PRINTING MACHINES I v '6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 10, 1932Aug. 21, 1934. F. c. MARQUARDT WIPING AND POLISHING MECHANISM FOR STEELPLATE PRINTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 10, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 mlNVENT WLAHQRNEY Patented Aug. 21, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT o-FFicE r W-IPINGAN D POLISHING MECHANISM FGR STEEL PLATE PRINT KNG MACHINES Frank G.Marquardt, -Brookly-n, N. $5., assignor to American Bank Note Company,New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application October 10, 1932,Serial No. 637,189

My invention relates to wiping and polishing mechanisms for steel plateprinting machines, and more particularly to a mechanism for impartingfeeding movement to the wiping Webs. in steel plate printing machines itis necessary to remove the ink from the top or non-printing surface of aprinting plate by means of a wiping web, and to impart a final polish tothe plate with the incidental removal of any small quantity of ink whichis not removed by the wiping web, by means of a polishing web prior tothe making of the impression.

With one type of rotary steel plate printing machines, it has been thepractice to hold the wiping and polishing webs against movement with, orcounter to that of, the plate during the wiping and polishingoperations, although the platen over which said webs pass receive alateral reciprocating movement to prevent the formation of ink streaksupon the non-printing surface of the plate.

The wiping webs, in addition to removing the surplus ink, accumulate theink at the parting line between the web passing over the wiping platenand the plate, thus providing surplus ink which is distributed about theplate and forced into the lines of the design in a manner to effectivelypack these lines, or thoroughly fill them with the ink.

Prior to my invention it was the practic'eto' so construct the wipingmechanisms for rotary steel plate printing machines of the type towhichthe invention relates, as to secure a longitudinal feeding movement ofthe wiping or of the polishing l web by mechanisms havinga fixedpredetermined operative effect, so that irrespective of the character'oithe design upon, or of the size of, the plate the same quantity of Webwas fed with each'cycle of operations of the machine. Great difficultyhas always been experienced in securing a proper feeding of the webwithout possibility of the formation of creases and wrinkles therein,due to the stresses to which theweb is subjected during the wiping orthe polishing operation, this difiiculty, however, being more pronouncedwith a wiping web than with a polishing web because the inajor portionof the cleaning of the plate results from the action of the wiping webthereon.

In printing from an intaglio, engraved or undersuriace steel printingplate, there is great wastage of ink because ofth'e'nec'essityfor'applying inkto the non-printing or top surface of aswell'as in the lines of the design upon the plate, and the subsequentremoval of the larger portion of such suriaceink. The amount of inkapplied varies in accordance with thecharactei' of the design and withthe size of the plate. The use of a wiping Web having a progressivelyincreased degree of saturation by the ink in the direction of movementof the plate, ensures a morepertfect wiping operation, and a more'perfeet wiping results in a more 'perfectpolishing.

A proper conditioning of the wiping web -is largely dependent upontheaggregate amount of ink applied'to the plate and the length of Web f edfollowing each wiping operation. 'In steel plate printing machines, inuse prior to my invent-ion, 'theus'ual practice was toprovide anintermittently actuated web feeding mechanism for imparting fikedfeeding movement to both the wiping and polishing webs irrespective ofthe character of the design uponthe plate, or of the length of theplate. With a short plate, itwas necessary to apply a greater quantityof ink to the plate in order to secure 'a proper degree of saturation ofthe'wiping web and a'properpacking of thelines of the design, while witha long plate, it was necessary to apply less ink to the plate in orderto prevent an over-saturation of the wiping web. Consequently, in theinking of platesfthe efi'iciency of the wiping mechanism particularly,and of the polishing mechanism incidentally; was determined by theamount of ink applied to the plate, this amount being regulated by "theadjustment-of the ink fouri't plate. Such adjustment was dilficult tosecure with any degree of accuracy, and as a consequence the usualpractice was toprovide ink upon the plate considerably in excess of thatactually required for its proper inking thus ensuring,,at all times, aminimum saturation of the wiping web.

The amount of ink applied to theplate hadlto be at all times sufficientto secure a proper conditioning of the length of the wipingwebdetermined by the fixed quantity of feed thereof by the wiping,mechanism, the size, character or de sign-upon the plate being ofsecondary consideration. Hence, the wastage of ink was alwaysgreaterrthan would be normally required by the character of the plateitself.

'liur'thermore, the ieeding of a fixed length of b'oththe wipingandpolishing webs, irrespective of "the requirements of the plateitself, made it necessary to stop the machine at certain intervals inorder to place new rollers of wiping an'cl polishin'g web in themachine. Whenever a" new web is s'upplied'to the machine, a properconditioning of this web was necessary before 'themachine could again beused for making an imprint.

With the above conditions in mind, 'I have pro- Kill lot

vided a web actuating mechanism for advancing either the wiping or thepolishing web or both prior to each wiping or polishing operationwherein the mechanism may be so adjusted as to regulate the length ofweb fed with each actuation of said mechanism with regard to the sizeof'the plate and the character of thelines of the design thereon, thuspermitting the adjustment of the supply of ink to the inking rollerssolely with regard to'the plate requirements. By thus regulating thefeed, particularly of the wiping web, the proper conditioning of the webis 1 determined by the quantity ofink' upon the nonprinting surface ofthe plate necessary for securing a proper filling and packing of thelines and the plate need not be supplied with anexcess of ink solely forthe purpose of conditioning the wiping web.

It is obvious that with an eff cient wiping action, the quantity of ink,which must be removed by the polishing web, .will be almost negligibleso that the rapid soiling of the polishing web is avoided and its solevfunction'becomes that of bringing the top or non-printing surface ofthe plate to its normal bright finish by removing any lm spots thereoncaused by the oil vehicle of the ink. With this condition, only a slowintermittent feeding movement of the polishing web is necessary, and bythe mechanism of the invention, it is possible to regulate this feedingmovement to accord with the efliciency secured by the wiping mechanism,as well as the size of the plate. When referring to the size of theplate, its length is meant, since the width of different plates has noinfluence upon the proper conditioning of the wiping web, and theactionof the polishing webv beyond that the feeding movement of each webmust be determined by some portion of each plate where the inking orpolishing is most difiicult.

When the mechanism of the invention is used for feeding both the wipingand the'polishing webs, its construction must be. such as to secure .a'differential feeding interval of the wiping web and the polishing web,since one of these webs may be operative as to one plate, while theother is operative as to another plate and each web must be fed duringaninterval while the other is operative upon a plate. The length ofpolishing'web fed with each actuation of: the

mechanism ofjthe invention is shorter than that of the wiping web sothatthe construction of the mechanism must be such as to permit suchvariation in the quantity of the length of each web fed with eachactuation of the mechanism. When the mechanism is applied to both thewiping and the polishing webs, its construction is also tice heretoforefollowed, of determining the quantity of ink applied to'a plate mainlyby the necessity for securing a certain degree of saturation of thewiping web. This will be more fully referred to hereinafter.

The invention consists primarily in a wiping and polishing mechanism forsteel plate printing machines embodying therein a wiping platen, a webfeeding mechanism adapted to advance the web toward said platen, 'atake-up mechanism adapted to draw said web across said platen, an

intermittently operative actuating means for said feeding and saidtake-up mechanisms including therein a member having a fixed quantity ofmovement, and means whereby said actuating means may be adjusted toregulate the quantity of web fed and taken up with each actuation ofsaid means without varying the quantity of movement of said member; andin such other novel features and combination of parts as are hereinafterset forth and described and more particularly pointed out in the claimshereto appended.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side view of the lower portion of a rotary steel plateprinting machine, showing the wiping and polishing mechanism of theinvention;

Fig. 2 is an end view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a condensed enlarged view of a portion of the actuating means;

Fig. 4 is an illustrative View showing the position of parts immediatelyfollowing the operation of the actuating means to advance the wipingweb;

Fig. 5 is a similar View showing the position of parts immediatelyfollowing the advancement of the polishing web; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing the position ofparts'immediately prior to the advancement of the polishing web.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views. a

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated the invention inconnection with a steel plate printing machine having a plate cylinder10 adapted to receive two plates 11 and 12. Since the wiping andpolishing mechanisms, in their operation cooperate only with the platesupon the plate cylinder, the drawings omit all other mechanisms of, themachine, such mechanisms being old and well known in the rotary steelplate printing art.

, The wiping mechanism comprises two platens 13 and 1e extendinglongitudinally of the cylinder 10, these platens being of the usualconstruction and beingactuated in the usual manner, it being customaryas heretofore stated to impart a reciprocatory, movement to theseplatens longitudinally of the. cylinder to avoid streaking of the platesand ensure a more complete 'filling'of the lines of the design upon theplate. Adjacent the platens 13 and .14 is a support 15 for a roll ofwiping web shown at 16. Between said support and the platens are' a pairof feeding rollers 1'7 and 18 adapted to frictionally engage the web 16and advance it towards the platens 13 and 14. The web passes about aguide roller 19 in its run from the roll of web to the feeding rollers.These rollers are set sufiiciently tight to'resist any drag of theplateupon the portion of the web passing aboutthe platens 13 and 14 duringthe wiping operation. Tneplatens l3 and 14 are spaced slightly apart andbetween them, the web 16 passes about a weighted guide roller 20, whichserves to take up any slack.

Below the support 15 is a support 21 for the rewind reel, consisting ofslotted arms permitting upward movement of the rewound webwith thegradual increase in its diameter with a continued operation of themachine. Below the slotted arms is a take-up or rewind roller 22. One ofthe feed rollers, 17, carries a sprocket wheel 23 which is connected bya sprocket chain 24 with a sprocket wheel 25 carried by the arbor of therewind reel 22. The feedingrroller 1'7 and the take-up roller 21 are thesame diameter as are the sprockets and a lock nut 42.

movement of the rock arm 27 in one direction, to

23 and 25 so that the length of web drawn from the supply reel is thesame as the element of web rewou-nd upon the rewind rest.

This general arrangement and mnstrucndn is old a'nd well known in rotarys'teel pl-aite printing machines, my invention relating moreparticularly to the actuating'means operative-upon these old or similarmechanisms for the purpose of impar'ting and timing the actuationthereof and ror controlling the length of web 16 fed" with eachactuation thereof. h

Mounted adjacent the plate cylinder 10 1s a 1m tatable housed cam 26,and mounted ad this Cain is a rock arm 27. The cam 26 is oohnected witha gear 28 upon the plate cylinder through an idler gear 29 and a gear 30c'ar'r'ied by the cam. The gear 30-is of one-half the diame-ter of thegear 28 upon the plate cylinder so as to receive one completerevolutioniorieach plate upon the cylinder 10. If three plates are usedupon said cylinder, the gear 30 will be one-third plate Cylinder.

The rock arm 27 is pivoted at one end thereoi' at 31,'andcarries ananti-friction roller 32 engaging the cam 26.

Carried by the arbor 31 of the take-up or rewind'reel is a frictionratchet clutch member 32. Mounted upon this clutch member is a gearwheel 33. The member 32, about the periphery thereof, is provided with aplurality of tapered recesses 34 in which are seated one or more ballsor cylinders This general type of ratchet clutchis old and well known,being used in connections where the driving member, by movement-in onedirection will carry the driven member with it, and

in its movement in the opposite direction will disengage it from thedriven member so as to permit it to move freely in relation thereto.

. Mounted in suitable guideways adjacent the take-up or rewind roller 22is a rack 38 enmeshed with the gear 35. The rack 38 is reciprocated bymeans of a connecting rod 39 pivotally connected with said rack and witha block 40 adjustably mounted in an elongated slot ll in the arm 27.

- The'block 40 is secured in any adjusted position in relation to theslot 41 by means of end clamps By the above construction,

the right, will impart contra-clockwise movement to the gear 35, andimpart similar movement to the balls or cylinders 37 in the recesses36in a manner to set the clutch and impart contra-clockwise movement tothe take-up or rewind reel 22, and movement of the arm 27 in theopposite directi'on, to the left, will impart clockwise movement thegear may be varied by changing the radius.

at which the: arm 27 acts upon the connecting rod 39 by the adjustmentof the pivot block longitudinally of the slot 41. obviouslythe nearerthis block is to the pivot 31, the shorter will be the movement of therack 38.

may be a considerable range in the length of the web fed as the arm 27in the actual machine is long, the rack 38 being located adjacent thebase df t-hei'machine, parental-this pursoseand partly In this mannerthelength of feed of the web may be variecLand there for a mer'econvenient neat-an er "the rewind mechanism; 'By the foregoingconstruction it will te neted' that the feeding rollers 17 and 1 8 andthe ta-he iip roller 22 are intermittentlyactuated by the u ati-ng meansconsisting of'the cam 26, m

27-, the connecting rod 39, the c -operatm nec'ting rod 39, radially ,Qithe Frock aria 27, p

m'i ts the' adjustment of this mechanism n'fa man her to regulate thequantity of web-red nd taken: up with ea ch cycle of operations or theactuat means. This result is secured notwithstanding that the rock arm27 receives a fiir'ed diia htity'of oscillatory movement with eachrotation or the cam ze. 2 1

The cam 26- is provided with-substantially an: metrically opposite risesand falls,- the rise being indicated at'42and thefall at 43, thecamexcept at the rise and fall having two portions at different radiifrom the axis of the cam as snowmespectively at 44 and 45. The spacingor the rise and: fall of the cam approximately 180 apart, is' for thepurpose of securing a proper timing in the feeding of the wiping web16in relationto each plate 11 and 1 2, and also a proper timing in thefeeding of the polishing web as -'a result of the movementsof the rockarm 27. A rise'and'a fall on the cam, of course are necessary if theactuating mechanism is used to causethe feeding of either the wiping webor the polishing web alone, but the locating of the caries in the mannerdescribed is necessary when the rock arm 27 is usedto cause the feedingof both wiping and polishing webs.

The polishing mechanism will now be described. This comprises a singleplaten 46, spaced from the wiping platens 13 and 14 in the direction ofmovement of the cylinder 10. Adjacent the-platen roller is a support47for a reel of polishing web 48. The web passes from the rollabout theguide roller 49 and between a pair of feeding rollers 50 and 51 adaptedto frictionall-y engage the web 48, and advances it toward the platen46. After leaving the feed roller 51, the web passes about guide rollers52 and 53.

Adjacent and below the support 47 is a support- 54 for the rewind reelconsisting o'f'slot'ted arms permitting upward movement of the rewoundweb with its gradual increase of diameter with a continued operation ofthe machine. Below the slotted arms of the supp'o'rt54 is a take-up orrewind roller 55. I

"One of'the feed rollers 51 carries a sprocket wheel 56 which isconnected by a sprocket chain 57 with a sprocket wheel 58 carried by thearbor of the rewind reel 55. An idler sprocket 'wheel 59 co-operateswith the sprocket chain 57', a similar idler sprocket wheel 60co-operating with the sprocket "chain 24. Both these idler sprocketsserve merely as tensioning devices.

Carried by. the arbor 61 of the polishing web take-up or rewind roller55 is a friction ratchet clutch member 62. Mounted upon this clutchmember-is a gear 63, and within taperedrecesses 64 about the peripheryof the member 62- are seated one or more balls or rollers 65 Thisratchet clutch isofthe same construction-as that heretofore described asa part of the actuating mechanism for the wiping web take-up or rewindmechanism, with the exception that the recesses 64 are set oppositely tothe recesses 36, so that with the setting of the clutch -mejchanisxn'operative 'upon the take=up or rewind roller 55'; said foil roller willreceive a clockwise movement, where as with the setting of the clutchmechanism take-up or-rewind roller is a rack 66, the teeth of which areenmeshed with the gear 63. This rack 66 is reciprocated by means of aconnecting rod 6'7 pivotally connected with saidrack and with ablock 68adjustably mounted in the elongated slot 41 in the arm 2'7. The block 68.is secured in any adjustedposition along the slot 41 by means of endclamps and lock nuts 69.

a The wiping web16, in passing from the roller 18, passes about a guideroller and across the platen 13, and from the platen 14 about the guideroller '71 to and about the rewind roller 22.

I The roll of rewound wiping web is shown at '72 and the reel of rewoundpolishing web is shown at '73.

. The cam 26, the rock arm 2'7, the connecting rod 6'7, the rack 66 andthe members of the clutch mechanism 6265 constitute an intermittentlyoperated actuating means for feeding the polishing web, themovability-of the connecting rod 6'7 radially of the rock arm 27,permitting the adjustment of this actuating means in .a manner toregulate the quantity of web fed and taken up with each cycle ofoperations of said actuating means.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the rock arm27 and the cam 26 are common to the actuating means for the mechanismsfor feeding thewipingweb and the.

polishing web. This, however, is largely a matter of expediency, sinceby it an accurate timing in the feeding of the two webs in relation toeach other is more readily secured than with two independent rock armsand cams.

The operation of the herein described wiping and polishing mechanism issubstantially as follows: v I r The determination of the; quantity-ofwiping -web fed prior to the wiping of each plate is of greaterimportance than a regulation of the quantity of polishing web fed. Thisis because any saving of ink is accomplished through a proper regulationof the wiping web. Therefore, if desired, the rock arm 27 and itsactuating means 26 may be used solely to actuate the wiping web feedingmechanism. is a practical matter, however, it is preferable to utilizethese parts to also actuate the polishing web feeding mechanism, sinceregulation of the quantity of polishing web fed prior to the polishingof each plate is'highly desirable, mainly in the interests of a savingof the polishing web.

I will therefore first describe theoperation of the mechanism as tothefeeding of the'wiping web, and then describe its operation inrelation to the polishing web. 7 This, I will follow with a descriptionof the timing in the actuation of the two webs, notwithstanding that therock i arm 2'7 and cam 26 are a common source of power or actuatingmeans for both web feeding mechanisms. V Y a H In feeding the wiping webthroughthe matensioning roller 20, over the platen 1'4,'around the guideroller '71 to about the rewind roller 22 the end being wound upon thespool of the rewind reel '72.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 4 of the drawings, theplate 11 hasbeen inked and is about to engage the wiping web 16. The arm 27,

in this view, is shown in its extreme position to the right, with theroller 32 passing from the rise 42 of the cam 26 and just entering uponthe high concentric portion 44 of said cam. The parts will remain inthis position until the fall 43 of the cam moves the rock arm 27 to itsextreme left position shown inFig. 6, the position of parts shown inFig. 5 being that immediately preceding thecmovement of the rock arm 27to the left. 7 f

1 This movement of the arm 27 to the left will impart no movement to thetake-up or rewind roller 22, since movement of the rock arm to the leftwill impart a clockwise movement to the gear 35 Which will disengage orrelease the clutch and permit a free movement of said gear.

Following this movement of the arm to the left, it will remainstationary during an interval cor,- responding with the low concentriccam surface 45. Consequently, the wiping web will remain immovableduring the entire interval following themovement of the rock arm 27 bythe rise 42, until toward the completion of a full revolution of the cam26, said rock arm is moved to the right by said rise .42, since whilethe arm 2'7 remains stationary by reason of the engagement of the roller32 with concentric portions 44 and 45 of the cam and is moved byengagement with the fall 43, nomovement is imparted to the takeup orrewind roller 22. With the movement of the rock arm 27 by the rise 42,however, which movement will be to the right, the rack 38'is actuated bytheconnecting rod 39 in a manner to impart a contra-clockwise movementto the gear wheel 25, which movement will force the balls or rollers 3'7towardthe shallow part of the recesses 36 in the clutch member 34, thussetting the clutch so as to impart contra-clockwise movement to saidtake-up or rewind roller 22.

The amount of turningmovement of the roller 22 is determined by thelength of the reciprocatory movement of the rack 38, and this in turn isdetermined, not aloneby the quantity of movement in arc of the rock arm2'7, but by the distance which the pivot block 40 is set from the pivot31 about which the arm 2'7 has movement.

With an increase of theradius at which this block is set. there will bean increased feeding movement of the wiping web 16, notwithstanding thattherock arm 26 has a constant range of oscillation.

. The cam 26 has one full revolution for each plate 11 or 12'carried bythe plate cylinder 10. Consequently the arm 27 will have one full directand return oscillation for each plate upon said cylinder. The rise 42upon the cam. 26 is so set in relation to the space between plates upon.the cylinder that its movement to the right will be completed prior tothe engagement of the forward edge of a plate with the portion of theweb 16 about the platen l3, and following the disengagement of thepreceding plate, as 12, from the portion of the web passing about theplaten 14. Consequently, all movement of the web 16 will occur while itis-not engaged with any plate.

The length of the rise 42 is such that a full feeding movement may beimparted to the web 16 when the largest plates, which are used upon themachine, are .mountedupon the cylinder 10, or; when succeeding platesare most closely spaced in relation to each other. Plates of differentlengths are used upon these machines, but the number of plates is alwaysthe same, that is to say, vif a machine is designed to have the platecylinder carry two plates, there are never more than two plates mountedupon the plate cylinder, while if the machine is designed to carry threeplates, there are never more than three plates mounted upon saidcylinder.

As heretofore explained, to ensure a proper conditioning of the wipingweb in orderto effectively fill and pack the lines of a design upon theplate, it is necessary that this web shall be saturated or partiallysaturated to a degree which will prevent or retard the absorption of theink with the movement of the plate in relation to the wiping web so thatas each portion of the plate leaves the web, or is about to leave theweb, there is no tendency of the web, by capillary attraction, to drawink from the lines of the design. In fact, with a proper degree ofsaturation of the wiping web, this web itself will supply ink to some ofthe lines rather than pick the ink therefrom. This conditioning of theweb requires theapplication of ink to the plate, not only with regard tothe filling of the lines, but also with regard to the amount of inkwhich must be absorbed by the web. With a short plate the amount of inkapplied to the plate must be increased, as compared with a long plate,in order to furnish sufiicient ink for the conditioning of the wipingweb. At least that was the condition prior to my invention.

With the wiping mechanism of the invention, however, when a short plateis mounted upon the cylinder 10, instead of increasing the quanity ofink applied to the plate, the connecting rod 39- is moved radially ofthe arm 27, the amount of this movement being governed largely by thelength of the plate.

When the block 40 is. set closer to the axis 31 of the arm 27, the throwof the rack 38 is decreased and the turning movement of the gear 35 andthe take-up or rewind reel 22 is reduced. As a consequence, the quanityof wiping web fed will be reduced, and withthe shortening of the amountofv web fed, the'available ink for conditioning the web will besuflicient to secure the desired degree of saturation without increasingthe quantity of ink. applied to the plate. .For example, as-

suming. that with a large plate and a six-inch wide platen, the web,with each actuation of the roller 22, is fed four inches, each plate issubjected to four inches of unsaturated web and there will be two inchesof saturated web passing over the platen 13. The web passing over theplaten 14 is always saturated or partially saturated with ink. Thesupply of ink upon the top or non-printing surface of a large plate willbe sufficient topartially saturate this four inches of fresh web andwill increase the degree of saturation of the partially saturated twoinches of web adjacent the platen 13. With a small plate, however, thearea of the plate will be such that if the plate is' inked to the sameextent as the long plate, assuming that the short plate is only half thelength of the long plate, there will not be sufficient ink to secure adesired degree of saturation of the four inches of fresh web. By cuttingdown the length of web fed to two inches instead. of four, there will besufiicient ink upon the short plate to properly condition this" twoinches of web, and it will take three feeding movements of the web,instead of only two, before six inches pass from the platen 13 as Withthe long plate, so that two-thirds of the web, instead of onlyone-third, following each feeding movement, will have absorbed ink,one-third from two plates, and one-third from one plate. In this manner,the shortening of the length of Web fed will ensure the maintenance ofthe web in proper condition without increasing the amount of ink appliedto a short plate as compared with acorresponding area on a large plate.a

By trial impressions the connecting rod 39 'may be adjusted radially ofthe arm 27 to any extent which it is found ensures a proper inking ofthe plate. With some designs more ink may be required to nil in thelines and less will be available for conditioning the web, but theactuating means for feeding .the web maybe adjusted to accommodate thewiping mechanism to this condition. This adjustability of the actuatingmeans for the wiping web feeding mechanism eifectsa saving of the wipingweb as well as of ink, when small plates are used upon the cylinder 10.Also, by regulating the length of feed of the wiping web,over-saturation of the web, resulting in streaking of the plate may beavoided. I I I By the use of the mechanism of the invention, not onlyare economies effected as to ink and web, but it is possible to sosetthe machine as to secure a more uniform inking of succeeding plates withthe'avoida'nce of losses resulting from the making of defectiveimpressions.

Referring to Fig. 5 of the drawings, the relation of parts is such thatthe plate 12 has passed from engagement with the polishing web 48, at

which time the rock arm 27 is in its extreme right position, the roller32 being about to enter the fall 43 of the cam 26. With the continuedrotation of said cam, the arm 27 will be moved to the left impartingadirect reciprocation to the rack 66 and a clockwise rotation to the gear63. This movement of the gear 63- willmove the balls or rollers 65toward the shallow part of the recesses 64, thus setting theclutchmechanism in a manner to turn the take-up or rewind roll 55in aclockwise direction. Movement of this roller and of the sprocket wheel58 carried thereby, through the sprocket. chain 57 and sprocketwheel-56, will actuate thefeeding rollers 51 and 52 in a manner to drawpolishing web 48 from its rolland advance it toward the polishing platen46, the slack thus created being taken up by the take-up or rewindroller 55 and wound upon the rewind reel '73.

The movement of the rock arm 27 will, when completed, establish arelation of parts, as shown in Fig. 6,v the succeeding plate 11 not yethav ing engaged the polishing web 48 passing about the platen 46. Withthe continued rotation of the cam '26, the rock arm 2'7 will remainstationary throughout the engagement of the roller 32 with the lowconcentric cam portion 45, but said arm will receive reciprocation tothe right from the rise 42 ofthe cam, following which the arm willremain stationary during the engagement of the roller 32 with the highconcentric cam portion 44.

During the revolution of the cam 26, following the actuation of the rockarm 27 by the fall 43 of said cam, notwithstanding that before said fallagain becomes operative, said arm will have rollers 65 in a directionto'disconnect this gear from the driven clutch member 62. Theconnecting'rod 67 may be adjusted radially of the arm 26 by means of theblock 68 and the clamps 69 in a manner to regulate or control thequantity of polishing web fed with each complete revolution of the cam26 or each complete direct and return oscillation of the rock arm 27.The function of the polishing web ismerely to remove any streaks of inkor any blotches 'of oil upon the non-printing surface of the'plate, andsince with an effective wiping action such are not present in anysubstantial amount, the polishing web becomes soiled very slowly.Consequently, as compared with a wiping webythe length of polishing webfed preparatory to the polishing of a plate is relatively much shorter.

With short plates the block 68 may be set closer to the pivotal support31 of the rock arm 27, while with longer plates it'may be set moreremote from this support 31. The adjustment is mainly for the purpose oflimiting the length of polishing web fed to that required to properlyclean the non-printing surface of the plate, since with the shorteningof the amount of web fed there is not only a saving in the consumptionof the web during the run of the machine, but stoppage of the machinefor the replacement of thesoiled web by a fresh one is lessfrequent.

The adjustment of the block 68 is along the same slot 41 in the arm 27which permits adjustment of the block 40 through which power istransmitted to the wiping web take-up or rewind roller 22, it beingpossible to utilize the same arm 27 as a part of the actuating means forboth the wiping and the polishing mechanism because of the differentialquantity of feed required for the wiping web and for the polishing'web.i V

The use of actuating means, including an arm 27, which is common to boththe wiping web and the polishing web feeding mechanisms is advantageousas it ensures accuracy in the timing in the feeding of these webs andpermits the regulation of the quantity of either web fed withoutdisturbing the adjustment as to the other web and without interferingwith the timing above referred to.

The functioning of the actuating means in operating the different webfeeding mechanisms individually, has heretofore been described butwithout regard to the timing factor. The spacing of plates upon theplate cylinder 10 affords an interval during which either the wiping webor the polishing web may be advanced, but this space is so short and thewiping platens and the polishing platens are so spaced that thisinterval does not coincide as to both of the Webs. According to theposition of the plate cylinder, the wiping of one plate may occur whileanother plate is being polished; one portion of a plate may be wipedwhile another portion of it is being'polished; the polishing web may beoperative upon a plate while the Wiping web is inoperative, and thewiping web may be operative while the polishing web is inoperative.Consequently, the wiping webv may be fed while the polishing web must beheld stationary, since it is operating to polish a plate, and inversely,the polishing web may be fed while it is necessary to maintain thewiping web stationary because of its operative relation to a plate.

With movement of the rock arm 27 to the right, the Wiping web actuatingmechanism is caused t0 advance this web, and consequently this movementmust occur while a plate is disengaged from the web 16. Movement of thearm to the right, however, will merely turn the gear 63 withoutimparting feeding movement to the polishing web, which is necessarybecause at this time the polishing web 48 is in contact with a plate, ormay be in such contact, according to the length of the plate. Movementof the rock arm 2'7 to the left occurs while the wiping web 16 isengaged with a plate, but following the disengagement of a plate withthe polishing web 48. With this movement, the polishing web rewindroller 55 is actuated to advance the polishing web but the gear 35 isturned idly in relation to the driven clutch member associatedtherewith, so that the wiping web remains stationary.

By setting the rise 42 and fall 43 approximately 180 apart; by havingeach extend through an arc of the same degree as the smallest arc in thespace between the largest plates used upon the cylinder 10; by impartingone full revolution'to the cam 26 for each plate upon the cylinder, anddetermining the ratio of the gear 28 and the gear 29 by the number ofplates upon the cylinder, to wit: two to one or three to one, it'ispossible to secure the timing of the feeding of the two webs in themanner above described and still maintain'each web stationary during thefull interval it is engaged with a plate, notwithstanding that duringthis interval the rock arm 2'? receives reciprocatory movement in onedirection since this movement will have no effect upon the web which atthe moment. is engaged with a plate.

' The use of a ratchet clutch mechanism permits the intermittentactuation of both web feeding mechanisms, and the use of a ratchetfriction clutch mechanism permits a close setting of the actuatingmechanism to regulate the quantity of web fed.

The mechanism of the invention is heavy, durable and readily accessible,being located'at one side of the machine.

Regulation of the quantity of feeding movement, as to either web, issecured by determining the effective leverage at which the arm 27 actsthrough the connecting rod 39 or 6'7 upon the rack 38 or 66. The lengthof the arm 27 is sufficiently great to permit the setting of theactuating means for the web feeding mechanisms respectively to meet therequirements of a plate of any size which may be used upon the machine.

It is not myjinte'ntion to limit the invention to the precise detailsofconstruction shown in the accompanying drawings, it being apparentthat such may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention.

Having described the invention what I claim as new and desire to haveprotected by Letters Patent, is:

1. A wipingand polishing mechanism for steel plate printing machinesembodying therein a wiping platen, a web feeding mechanism adapted toadvance the web towardsaid platen, a take-up mechanism adapted to draw,said web across said platen, an intermittently operative actuating meansfor said feeding and said take-up mechanisms including therein a memberhaving a fixed quantity of movement, and means whereby said actuatingmeans may be adjusted to regulate the quantity of web fed and taken upwith each actuation of said means without varying the quantity ofmovement of said member.

,2, A wiping and polishing mechanism for steel plate printing:machinesembodying therein a wiping platen, a wiping web feedingmechanism adapted to. advance the wiping web toward said platen, atake-up mechanism adapted to draw said wiping web across said platen, apolishing platen, a polishing web feeding mechanism adapted to advancethe polishing web toward said platen, a takemp mechanism adapted to drawsaid polishing web across said platen, an intermite tently operativeactuating. means for said win.- ing web and said polishing web feedingand takeup mechanisrns respectively, and means whereby the actuatingmeans operative upon the polishing webfeeding and take-up mechanism maybe adjusted to regulate the quantity of polishing web fed and taken upwith each actuation of. said means.

3. A wiping and polishing mechanism for steel plate printing machinesembodying therein a wiping platen, a wiping web feeding mechanismadapted to advance the "iping web toward said platen, a take-upmechanism adapted to draw said wiping web across said platen, apolishing platen, a polishing web feeding mechanism adapted to advancethe poiishing web toward said platen, a take-up mechanism adapted todraw said polishing web across said platen, an intermittently operativeactuating means for said wiping web and said polishing web feeding andtake-up mechanisms respectively, and independently adjustable meanswhereby the quantity of wiping weband the quantity of polishing web fedand taken up with each actuation oi said means may be varied.

a. A wiping and polishing mechanism for steel plate printing machinesembodying therein. a wiping platen, a wiping web feeding mechanismadapted to advance the web toward said platen,

, a take-up roller co-operating with a rewind reel to draw said wipingweb across said platen, a ratchet clutch mechanism, the driven member ofwhich is carried by said take-up roller, and the driving member of whichincludes a gear, a reciprocatory rack enmeshed with said gear, a cam,driving means for said cam, a rock arm actuated by said cam, and aconnecting rod, one. end of which is connected with said rack and theother end of which is connected with and adjustable l radially of saidarm, whereby the effective leverage at which said arm acts may beadjusted to regulate the movement of said clutch mechanism and thequantity of wiping web fed and taken up with each actuation of said arm.

5. A wiping and polishing mechanism for steel plate printing machinesembodying therein a wiping platen. a wipingweb feeding mechanism adaptedto advance the wiping web toward said platen, a take-up mechanismadapted to draw said wiping web across said platen, a polishing platen,a polishing web feeding mechanism adapted to advance the polishing webtoward said platen, a take-up roller co-operating with a rewind reel todraw said polishing web across said platen, a ratchet clutch mechanism,the driven member of which is carried by said take-up roller,- and thedriving member of which includes a gear, a reciprocatory rack enmeshedwithv said gear, a cam, driving means for said cam, a rock arm actuatedby said and a connecting rod, one end of which is connected with saidrack and the other end of which is conected with and adjustable radiallyof said arm, whereby the efiective leverage at which said arm acts beadjusted toregulate the movement'of said clutch mechanism and thequantityof polishing web-fed and taken up with each actuation of saidarm.

, 6. A wipingand polishing mechanism for steel plate printing machines.embodying therein a wiping platen, v a wiping web feeding mechanismadapted to advance the wiping web toward said platen, atake-up rolleradapted: to draw said wiping web across said platen, a polishing platen,a polishing web feeding mechanism adapted to advance the polishing webtoward said platen, a take-up roller adapted to drawsaid polishing webacross said platen, ratchet clutch mechanisms, the driven members ofwhich are carried by said take-up rollers respectively, and the drivingmembers of which each include a gear, reciprocatory racks enmeshed withsaid gears respectively, a cam, driving means for said cam, a rock armactuated bysaid cam, and connecting rods each-having one end connectedwith a rack and the other end connected with and adjustable radially ofsaid arm, whereby the effective-leverage at which said arm acts uponeither connecting rod may be adjusted to regulate the movement of eitherof said clutch mechanisms independently ofv the other and the quantityof wiping web or polishing web fed and taken up with each actuation ofsaid arm.

7. A wiping and polishing mechanism for steel plate printing -machinesembodying therein a wiping platen, a wiping web feeding mechanismadapted toadvance the web toward said platen, a take-up rollerco-operating with a rewind reel to draw said wiping web across saidplaten, a friction ratchet clutch mechanism, thev driven member of whichis carried by said take-up roller, and. the driving member of whichincludes a a gear, a reciprocatcry rack enmeshed with said gear, a cam,driving means for said cam, a rock arm actuated by said cam, and aconnecting rod, one end of which is connected with said rack and theother end of which is connected with and adjustable radially of saidarm, whereby the effective leverage at which said arm acts may beadjusted to regulate the movement of said clutch mechanism and thequantity of wiping 'web fed and taken up with each actuation. of saidarm.

8. A'wiping and polishing mechanism for steel plate printing machinesembodying therein a wiping platen, a wiping web feeding mechanismadapted to advance the wiping web toward said platen, a take-upmechanism adapted to draw wiping web across said platen, a polishingplaten, a polishing web feeding mechanism adapted to advance thepolishing web toward said platen, a take-up roller co-operating with arewind reel to draw saidpolishing web across said platen, a frictionratchet clutch mechanism, the driven member of which is carried by saidtake-up roller, and the driving member of which includes a gear, areciprocate-i y raclr enmeshed with said gear, a cam, driving means forsaid cam, a rock arm actuated by said cam, and a connecting rod, one endof whichis connected with said rack and the. other end of which isconnected with and adjustable radially of said arm, whereby theeffective leverage at which said arm acts may be adjusted to regulatethe movement of said clutch mechanism and the quantity of polishing webfed and taken up with each actuation of said'arm.

9. A wiping and polishing mechanism for steel plate printing machinesembodying therein a wipe ing platen, a wiping web feeding mechanismadapted to advance the wiping web toward said platen, a take-up rolleradapted to draw said its wiping web across said platen, apolishingplaten, a polishing web'feeding mechanism adapted'to advance thepolishing web toward said platen, a take-up roller adapted to draw saidpolishing web across said platen, friction ratchet clutch mechanisms,the driven members of which are carried by said take-up rollersrespectively, and the driving members of which each include a gear, re-'ciprocatory racks enmeshed with said gears respectively, a cam, drivingmeans for said cam, a rock arm actuated by said cam, and connecting rodseach having one end connected with a rack andthe other end connectedwith and adjustable radially of said arm, whereby the effective leverageat which said arm acts upon either connecting rod may be adjusted toregulate the movement of either of said clutch mechanisms independentlyof the other and the quantity of wiping web or polishing web fed andtaken up with each actuation of said arm. 7

10. A wiping and polishing mechanism for steel plate printing machinesembodying therein a wiping platen, a pair of feeding rollers adapted toad-= vance the wiping webtoward saidplaten, a takeup roller co-operatingwith a rewind reel to draw said wiping web across said platen,connections between said take-up rollerand said feeding rollers, wherebysaid feeding rollers and said takeup roller are simultaneously actuatedto feed and take up the same length of wiping web, a ratchet clutchmechanism, the driven member of which is carried by said take-up roller,and the driving member of which includes a gear, a reciprocatory rack'enmeshed with said gear, a cam, driving means for said cam, a rock armactuated by said cam, and a connecting rod, one end of which isconnected with said rack and the other end of which is connected withand adjustable radially of said arm, whereby the effective leverage atwhich said arm acts may be adjusted toregulate the movement 'of saidclutch mechanism and the quantity of wiping web fed and taken up witheach actuation of said arm. V

11. A wiping and polishing mechanism for'steel plate printing machinesembodying therein a wiping platen, a wiping web feeding mechanismadapted to advance the wiping web toward said platen, a take-upmechanism adapted to draw said wiping web across said platen, apolishing web, a pair of feeding rollers adapted to advance thepolishing web toward said platen, a take-up roller co-operating with arewind reel to draw said polishing web across said platen, connectionsbetween said take-up roller and said feeding rollers, whereby saidfeeding rollers and said take-up roller are simultaneously actuated tofeed and take up the same length of polishing web, a ratchet clutchmechanism, the driven member of which is carried by said take-up roller,and the driving member of which includes a gear, a reciprocatory rackenmeshed with said gear, a cam, driving means for said cam, a rock armactuated by said a cam, and a connecting rod, one end of which isconnected with said rack and the other end of which is connected withand adjustable radially of said arm, whereby the effective leverage atwhich said arm acts may be adjusted to regulate themovement of saidclutch mechanism and the quantity of polishing web fed and taken up witheach actuation of said arm. I

- 12. A wiping and polishing mechanism for steel plate printing machinesembodying therein a wiping platen, a wiping Web feeding mechanism 7.adapted to advance the wiping web toward said platen, a take-up rolleradapted to draw said wiping web across said platen, connections betweensaid take-up roller and said feeding mechanism, whereby said feedingmechanism and said takeup roller are simultaneously actuated to feed andtake up the same length of wiping web, a polishing platen, a polishingweb feeding mechanism adapted to advance the polishing web toward saidplaten, a take-up roller adapted to draw said polishing web across saidplaten, connections between said last named take-up roller and saidpolishing web feeding mechanism,whereby said feeding mechanism and saidtake-up roller are simultaneously actuated to feed and take up the samelength of polishing web, ratchet clutch mechanisms, the driven membersof which are carried by said take-up rollers respectively, and thedriving members of which each include a gear, reciprocatory racksenmeshed with said gears respectively, a cam, driving means for saidcam, a rock arm actuated by said cam, and connecting rods each havingone end connected with a rack and the other end connected with andadjustable radially of said arm, whereby the effective leverage at whichsaid arm acts upon either connecting rod may be adjusted to regulate themovement of either of said clutch mechanisms independently of the otherand the quantity of wiping web or polishing web fed and taken up witheach actuation of said arm.

13. A wiping and polishing mechanism for steel plate printing machineshaving a plate cylinder adapted to receive a plurality of spaced plates,embodying therein a wiping platen, a wiping web feeding mechanism, awiping web take-up mechanism, a polishing platen, a polishing webmechanism, a polishing web take-up mechanism, a cam having a rise and afall substantially 180 apart, connections between said cam and saidplate cylinder, whereby said cam receives one full revolution for eachplate on said cylinder, a rock arm actuated by said cam, oppositely setratchet clutches having driven members which are operative upon saidtake-up mechanisms respectively, and each having a driving member,connections between said driving members respectively and said arm,whereby each take-up mechanism will be actuated while the other isinoperative, and means whereby the effective leverage of said arm uponsaid last named connections respectively, may be independently reguelated to vary the quantity of web fed and taken up with eachreciprocation of said arm.

14. A wiping and polishing mechanism for steel plate printing machineshaving a plate cylinder adapted to receive a plurality of spaced plates,embodying therein, wiping and polishing web platens, wiping andpolishing web feeding mechanisms, wiping and polishing web take-uprollers, oppositely set ratchet clutch mechanisms, the driven members ofwhich are carried by said take-up rollers respectively and the drivingmembers of which. each include a gear, reciprocatory racks enmeshed withsaid gears respectively, a cam having a rise and a fall substantially180 apart, connections between said cam and said plate cylinder wherebysaid cam receives one full revolution for each plate on said cylinder, arock arm actuated by said cam, and connecting rods each having one endconnected with arack and the other end connected with and adjustableradially of said arm, whereby each take-up roller will be actuated whilethe other is inoperative, and the effective leverage of said arm uponsaid connecting rods respectively may be independently regulated to varythe quantity of web fed and taken up with each reciprocation of saidarm.

15. A wiping and polishing mechanism for steel plate printing machineshaving a plate cylinder adapted to receive a plurality of spaced plates,embodying therein, wiping and polishing web platens, wiping andpolishing web feeding mechanisms, wiping and polishing web take-uprollers, oppositely set friction ratchet clutch mechanisms, the drivenmembers of which are carried by said take-up rollers respectively andthe driving members of which each include a gear, reciprocatory racksenmeshed with said gears respectively, a cam having a rise and a fallsubstantially 180 apart, connections between said cam and said platecylinder whereby said cam receives one full revolution for each plate onsaid cylinder, a rock arm actuated by said cam, and connecting rods eachhaving one end connected with a rack and the other end connected withand adjustable radially of said arm, whereby each take-up roller will beactuated while the other is inoperative, and the effective leverage ofsaid arm upon said connecting rods respectively may be independentlyregulated to vary the quantity of web fed and taken up with eachreciprocation of said arm.

16. A wiping and polishing mechanism for steel plate printing machineshaving a plate cylinder adapted to receive a plurality of spaced plates,embodying therein, wiping and polishing web platens, wiping andpolishing web feeding mechanisms, wiping and polishing web take-uprollers, connections between each feeding mechanism and the take-uproller co-operating therewith whereby the same length of web issimultaneously fed and taken up, oppositely set ratchet clutchmechanisms, the driven members of which are carried by said take-uprollers respectively and the driving members of which each include agear, reciprocatory racks enmeshed with said gears respectively, a camhaving a rise and a fall substantially 180 apart, connections betweensaid cam and said plate cylinder whereby said cam receives one fullrevolution for each plate on said cylinder, a rock arm actuated by saidcam, and connecting rods each having one end connected with a rack andthe other end connected with and adjustable radially of said arm,whereby each take-up roller will be actuated while the other isinoperative, and the effective leverage of said arm upon said connectingrods respectively may be independently regulated to vary the quantity ofweb fed and taken up with each reciprocation of said arm.

17. A wiping and polishing mechanism for steel plate printing machinesembodying therein a wiping web platen, and means for feeding a wipingweb across said platen, including therein a take-up mechanism, anintermittently operative actuating means therefor including therein amember having a fixed quantity of movement, and means whereby saidactuating means may be adjusted to regulate the quantity of web taken upwith each actuation of said means without varying the quantity ofmovement of said member.

18. A wiping and polishing mechanism for steel plate printing machineshaving a plate cylinder adapted to receive a plurality of spaced plates,embodying therein, wiping and polishing web platens, means for feedingwiping and polishing webs across said platens respectively includingwiping and polishing web take-up rollers, oppositely set ratchet clutchmechanisms, the driven members of which are carried by said take-uprollers respectively and the driving members of which each include agear, reciprocatory racks enmeshed with said gears respectively, a camhaving a rise and a fall substantially 180 apart, connections betweensaid cam and said plate cylinder whereby said cam receives one fullrevolution for each plate on said cylinder, a rock arm actuated by saidcam, and connecting rods each having one end connected with a rack andthe other end com1ected with and adjustable radially of said arm,whereby each take-up roller will be actuated While the other isinoperative, and the effective leverage of said arm upon said connectingrods respectively may be independently regulated to vary the quantity ofweb taken up with each reciprocation of said arm.

19. A wiping and polishing mechanism for steel plate printing machineshaving a plate cylinder adapted to receive a plurality of spaced webplatens, wiping and polishing web feeding mechanisms, wiping andpolishingweb take-up rollers, connections between each take-up rollerand its associated web feeding mechanism, oppositely set ratchet clutchmechanisms, the driven members of which are carried by said take-uprollers respectively and the driving members of Which each include agear, reciprocatory racks enmeshed with said gears respectively, a camhaving a rise and a fall substantially 180 apart, connections betweensaid cam and said plate cylinder whereby said cam receives one fullrevolution for each plate on said cylinder, a rock arm actuated by saidcam, and connecting rods each having one end connected with a rack andthe other end connected with and adjustable radially of said arm,whereby each take-up roller will be actuated while the other isinoperative, and the effective leverage of said arm upon said connectingrods respectively may be independently regulated to vary the quantity ofweb fed and taken up with each reciprocation of said arm.

FRANK C. MARQUARDT.

plates, embodying therein, Wiping and polishing I

